How To Feed A Family Of Four For Under €100 A Week

The Irish Times reported that the average Irish household spends €150 a week on food, totalling nearly €8,000 a year!

Safefood Ireland state similar numbers claiming a two-parent, two-child (primary and secondary school age) living in an urban area will need to spend €145.58 for a healthy food shop or €159.54 in a rural area. For families on low income levels this would take up around 36% of their total outgoings each month.

Blogger Jane Ashley claims she can feed her family for just over a Euro a day per person – for a four person family this would come to just €30 a week! Jane has the time to shop around for the best deals and spend weekends on meal prep. For many of us this simply isn’t feasible. In fact shopping on a budget can be harder for people with lower income levels who often don’t have the space to freeze meals prepared in bulk or the cash available to buy in bulk when products are on offer.

Get your family shop for under €100 a week with some of the best tips we’ve found

1. Check your cupboards before you take a trip to the shops. This will stop you from buying food you don’t need and allow you to plan how existing food can be used with this week’s meals.
2. Plan your meals in advance to avoid extra trips to the store throughout the week
3. Keep a good store cupboard with essentials like rice, pasta, spices & sauces so you can whip up an easy meal anytime
4. Shop online so you can keep track of your budget and avoid impulse buys

5. Buy food you can use across multiple meals. A large bag of potatoes can be used for a mash on Monday, wedges on Wednesday, and Shepherd’s Pie on Saturday. Eating on a budget doesn’t have to lack variety!
6. Steer clear of branded jarred sauces. Use tinned tomatoes, pastes, stock cubes and spices to whip up meals like curry, spaghetti bolognese or chilli con carne.
7. Keep leftovers for lunches or freeze for another evening.
8. Try the store’s own brand products – you might not even notice the difference
9. Buy fruit and veg in season, when they are cheaper
10. Buy loose or frozen vegetables, loose veg often costs less than prepacked for the same weight and frozen will save you money in the long run by reducing waste and repurchasing.
11. Often, the most expensive products are kept at eye level on the shelves. Look low down and above for cheaper alternatives.
12. Eat less meat and when you do buy it try cheaper cuts like chicken legs and diced beef, these turn out especially tasty cooked in a slow cooker.

13. Pack lunches – taking a little time each night to make a packed lunch will save you hundreds over the year.
14. Organise discount vouchers and store them with your shopping list to make sure you don’t miss out on the deals.
15. Use the app FlyFeeder to keep track of discount offers available in Ireland and add them to your virtual shopping list.

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Irish Life is one of Ireland’s leading financial services companies with over 1 million customers. For over 75 years, we’ve been helping people in Ireland look after their life insurance, pension and investment needs.

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Irish Life is one of Ireland’s leading financial services companies with over 1 million customers. For over 75 years, we’ve been helping people in Ireland look after their life insurance, pension and investment needs.

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Irish Life is one of Ireland’s leading financial services companies with over 1 million customers. For over 75 years, we’ve been helping people in Ireland look after their life insurance, pension and investment needs.
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Irish Life is one of Ireland’s leading financial services companies with over 1 million customers. For over 75 years, we’ve been helping people in Ireland look after their life insurance, pension and investment needs.
Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

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